Her name is Synergy. I know the name makes it sound like she’s an old stripper with dark circles under her eyes and smoke bellowing through her unbrushed teeth, and that my friends is so not true. She’s got a great personality and tells me all kinds of stories about basketball and stuff. This morning when she woke up next to me after a night of me registering with her, I finally had a chance to put her in my lap and ask her about how Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan are used, and if they have a chance of coming remotely close to some of the greats of the game. She replied:

I’m just getting used to seeing this kind of data and I’m more impressed by the fact that we have access to it more than anything. I’m not going to “analyze” this and draw any conclusions from it, just going to sit here in awe of how much detailed statistical analysis is possible if one has the time. As expected with DeRozan, his primary source of touches is through spot-up opportunities, off-screen and in transition. I’ll compare it to the master of the art – Ray Allen – and hope that DeRozan’s on his way there. Look at Allen in off-screen, the guy is a beast!

There are a lot of similarities in Bargnani and Dirk’s game, Nowitzki’s just better at everything. The key differences are the post-up numbers, Nowitzki operates a lot more in the post, making him an asset to his teammates. Operating in the post is such a luxury, you have a much better view of the court than if you’re driving and kicking, and you also have the time to survey things and choose from multiple options. Passing + Post-up game = Deadly combination. Of course, you can use your post-up game all night and still suck, just ask Jahidi White. Nowitzki is a classical shot-maker, he doesn’t have a set, predictable game, and can score from any angle, with his preference being a mid-range one-legged jumper while he’s hailing a cab. The surprising part here is to notice the relatively low number of isolation sequences Dirk is used in. Bargnani’s “one-on-one” number is significantly greater and this to me is a product of being part of a poor team, where too much is demanded of mediocre players and they’re asked to play beyond their ability. Does that make sense?